Grafting machine for seedling material

ABSTRACT

A machine for cutting the ends of root stock and scions to complementary shapes and for automatically positioning the cut ends thereof together. Root stock and scion are superimposed in oppositely extending positions and are cut off by the operative stroke of the profile knife. The reverse, inoperative stroke of the knife carries the root stock and scion with the knife until they engage an appropriately adjusted abutment, thereby causing the cut ends of the root stock and scion to be slid into mating relationship.

United States Patent Grigorov [54] GRAFTING MACHINE FOR SEEDLINGMATERIAL [72] 'lnventor: Tzvetan Blagoev Grigorov, Plovdiv,

Bulgaria [73] Assignee: DMZ Anton Ivanov, Plovdiv, Bulgaria [22] Filed:Dec. 17, 1970 2] Appl. No.: 99,164

[52] U.S. Cl ..47/6 [51] Int. Cl. ..A0lg 1/06 [58] Field of Search..47/1, 6; 144/90-91 [5 6] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 21,70010/1858 Rockwell ..47/6 348,592 9/1886 Speer ..47/6

[451 Aug. 1, 1972 FOREIGN PATENTS OR APPLICATIONS 398,070 5/1909 France148,993 4/1962 U.S.S.R.

Primary Examiner-Robert E. Bagwill Att0rney-Arthur O. Klein [57]ABSTRACT A machine for cutting the ends of root stock and scions tocomplementary shapes and for automatically positioning the cut endsthereof together. Root stock and scion are superimposed in oppositelyextending positions and are cut off by the operative stroke of theprofile knife. The reverse, inoperative stroke of the knife carries theroot stock and scion with the knife until they engage an appropriatelyadjusted abutment, thereby causing the cut ends of the root stock andscion to be slid into mating relationship.

7 Claims, 11 Drawing Figures PATENTEDAUBUQR @3.680.255

- 7SHEET420F2 IN\ENTOR.'

TZVETAN BLAGOEV GRIGOROV yam 0.

AHornev The present invention relates to a machine for preparing themating ends of the stems of root stock and the scions of seedlingmaterials which are to be grafted. Such material includes decorativebushes, nut trees, almond trees, and the like. The apparatus or graftingmachine of the invention is particularly characterized by its ease andeconomy of operation, its high productivity, the stability of the jointsmade by it between the root stock and the scions, the high percentage ofsuccessful grafts produced thereby, and the production of a greaternumber of first-class seedling materials.

A prior machine for performing such operation is one made, sold and usedin Bulgaria which is designated by the title LPM-l such machine is madein the Anton Ivanov State Machine Building Plant in the town of Plovdiv,Bulgaria. It performs the entire cycle of engrafting in two work strokesand four cycles. The use of such machine results in an improvement of atleast percent in the number of grafts which are successful and thenumber of first-class vine seedlings produced as compared to manualengrafting. Such known machine, however, is a complex device which isquite costly, is rather difficult to operate and maintain, and is ofsuch design that its rate of productivity cannot be improved.

The present invention has among its objects the provision of an improvedmachine for performing the process of engrafting seedlings. It has theadvantage of a simplified construction with no complex elements, whichpermits it to be made at a much lower cost price. In addition, it iseasily operated and easily maintained. The machine performs theengrafting process automatically in two cycles and one working stroke,thus permitting a much higher rate of productivity than the formermachine. The apparatus has only one element, an abutment, which requiresadjustment for the different kinds of material to be treated by theapparatus. There is an indicating mechanism'or scale for such adjustableabutment, which is preferably located conveniently on the front lid orpanel of the apparatus. Such scale is an important part of theapparatus, and contributes greatly to the high efficiency of the machineand the ease with which it is operated by unskilled workers.

Despite its simplified construction and manner of operation, the machineof the invention produces a much higher percentage of first-classengrafted material, since it treats both the root stock and the scionmaterial in accordance with the best agro-technical procedures. In oneillustrative, preferred embodiment of the apparatus, the necessarymotion of the parts is.

FIG. 2 is a fragmentary view in end elevation of the portion of theapparatus shown in FIG. 1, the view being taken in the direction fromleft to right in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a view similar to FIG. I ofa second embodiment of apparatus inaccordance with the invention;

FIG. 4 is a schematic kinematic diagram of the grafting machine as it isshown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 5 is a schematic kinematic view of the machine as it is shown inFIG. 2; and

FIGS. 60 to 6f, inclusive, are schematic views showing successive stepsin the working cycle of the illustrative grafting machine.

In FIGS. 1 and 2 there is shown a first embodiment of a grafting machinefor seedlings in accordance with the invention, such machine having abody 16 upon which there is fixedly mounted a lower supporting jaw Ihaving a broad V-shaped seat for the reception of one of the seedlingelements to be grafted; in this instance the lower supporting jaw 1 isshown supporting a scion element 2 upon which a root stock 3 issuperimposed. The lower supporting jaw l is preferably disposed at aconvenient angle as shown, there being a confronting movable upper jaw12 which reciprocates toward and away from the jaw I. The upper jaw I2is supported upon a reciprocable carriage 6 which is guided for movementtoward and away from the lower jaw 1 upon two spaced parallelcylindrical guide rods 4. The upper jaw 12 is constantly urged towardits extended lower position, shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, wherein it lies inadvance or downwardly of the carriage 6, by a yieldable means such as acoil compression spring 7a (FIGS. 4 and 5) which abuts at its upper enda spring abutment affixed to carriage 6 and at its lower end the upperend of a reciprocable rod affixed to the upper jaw 12 and slidable incarriage 6.

The carriage 6 is reciprocated by means of a lever 9 in the form of atoothed quadrant which meshes with a rack gear affixed to the side ofthe carriage 6 which confronts the lever 9. A coil tension spring 8affixed at its upper end to fixed structure is connected at its lowerend to the upper arm of the lever 9 so as constantly to urge the leverin a clockwise direction as it is shown in FIG. 1. A direct currentpowered electromagnet 10 has the plunger or armature 19 thereofpivotally connected by a link to the lower end of the lever 9 as shown.Upon the energizing of the electromagnet 10 the armature thereof isdrawn upwardly, whereby to swing the lever 9 counterclockwise againstthe opposition of the spring 8. In the alternative embodiment of FIG. 3the lever 9 is operated by a foot treadle device (not shown) whichoperates a pushrod 18 the upper end of which is pivotally connected tothe lower end of the lever 9, as shown.

In both illustrative embodiments the apparatus is mounted upon a worktable 11 which has a convenient height such as 720 mm. Table 11 may alsoconveniently have a working area of 450 to 950 mm The apparatus has aninclined front panel, to which the rods 4 lie parallel and to which theyare affixed. There is an adjustable abutment 5 mounted on such panel towhich there is connected a pointer 14 and a means 13 by which theabutment may be adjusted. Abutment 5 is adjusted by a screw 7b attachedthereto such screw being received within a nut 7c rotatably mounted onthe panel and held from axial travel with respect thereto. The carriage6 has a knife 15 affixed thereto, such knife being of thin-walledprofile shape, sharpened on its lower end, such that when it is lowered,it cuts off the right hand end 3a of the root stock 3 and the left handend 2a of the scion 2. In so doing, it cuts a slot into the left handends of the root stock and scion, as shown in FIG.'6f and a pointed end,complementary to the slot, in the right hand end of the scion and rootstock. The apparatus also includes a switchboard 17 carrying a switch17a by which the electromagnet is selectively energized.

The machine of the invention performs the working cycle of engraftingautomatically in one working stroke and two cycles. FIGS. 6a, 6b, and 60show successive steps in the first cycle, and FIGS. 6d, 6e, and 6f showsuccessive steps in the second cycle. During the first cycle, when thecarriage 6 moves downwardly, the scion 2 with the root stock 3 heldclosely upon it are placed on the supporting lower jaw l and are held insuch position by the spring biased upper jaw 12. Continued downwardmotion of the carriage 6 carries the profile knife downwardly so as tocut the described slot in the right end of the root stock and theprojecting member in the left end of the scion. In the second cycle, thecarriage 6 moves upwardly, back toward its initial position, where theroot stock element and the scion element 2 just cut may then bedisplaced and joined, the useless end pieces 3a and 2a thereof droppingaway. Such operation may conveniently be performed by placing the scion2 by the operators right hand upon the lower supporting jaw I, the lefthand of the operator then bringing the root stock 3 into position,superimposed upon the scion 2. In the first embodiment, electromagnet 10is then energized by closing its main supply switch; alternatively (FIG.3) the foot pedal of the apparatus may be operated to thrust pushrod l8upwardly. The carriage 6 is then moved by means of the toothed lever 9.One of the inclined planes of the upper holding jaw 12 is the first toreach the root stock 3. The latter needs a final adjustment by slippingit upon the scion 2, so that it is presented to the profile cuttingknife 15 in the correct position. The profile cutting knife 15 cuts insuccession the root stock 3 and then the scion 2. After the carriage 6has reached the bottom of its stroke, the first cycle of the workingstroke of the machine is completed. The operations performed are theinitial presentation of root stock and scion, adjusting, pressing, andcutting, which are part of the whole process of engrafting.

When the main supply switch for the electromagnet is open, the circuitis broken and no electric power reaches the magnet. The retractingspring 8, which is joined to the toothed lever 9 and the body of theapparatus, causes the carriage 6 to move upwardly. The cut elements,that is, the scion head 2a and the useless piece 3a from the root stock3, being still held in the profile knife 15, travel upwardly with theprofile knife. At a distance equal to the thickness of the materialtreated, the joint motion of the cut pieces ceases since the root stock3 then engages the adjustable abutment 5. The profile knife 15 continuesthen to move alone, leaving the displaced elements in the FIG. 6eposition. When the upper gripping jaw 3 reaches the upper end of itsstroke the operator with his left hand holds the root stock 3 and withhis right hand holds the scion 2.

The useless pieces 2a, 3a which have been cut off from the root stockand the scion fall out of the way. This completes the second cycle ofthe working stroke of the machine, such machine having performed theoperations of displacement, joining, and clearing of the whole processof engrafting-The remaining operation of binding the joint is carriedout in a conventional manner.

The machine can operate with profile knives 15 of various geometricalshapes, as desired, which provide for the holding of the cut elements inthe knife until such root stalk and scion are slid so that the cut endsthereof are brought into engagement. In the illustrative machinedescribed hereinabove, the profile knife 15 is of such shape as toprepare the root stock and scion for a symmetrical saddle graft.

Although the invention is illustrated and described with reference toone preferred embodiment thereof, it is to be expressly understood thatit is in no way limited to the disclosure of such a preferredembodiment, but is capable of numerous modifications within the scope ofthe appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. A grafting machine comprising first and second jaws for holdingelements consisting of a scion and a root stock in superimposedrelationship, a carriage movable toward and away from the first jaw,said second jaw yieldably mounted on the carriage to cooperate with thefirst jaw to grip the elements therebetween when the carriage isadvanced, means connected with said carriage to reciprocate the same,and a profile knife mounted on the carriage to cut the superimposedgripping elements when the carriage advances in a later portion of itsoperative stroke, the profile knife being of such shape as to cut theopposed ends of the respective elements into complementary shapes.

2. A machine according to claim 1, wherein the profile knife has agenerally cup shape in transverse section, whereby the cut-off endportion of one of the elements and the cut end of the other of theelements which engage the inner walls of the profile knife travel withthe knife in the initial portion of the return, inoperative stroke ofthe knife.

3. A machine according to claim 2, comprising an abutment disposedalongside the hollow side of the knife to engage the later cut elementafter the cut end of the first cut element has been removed, whereby toalign the later cut element with the first cut element.

4. A machine according to claim 3, comprising means to adjust theabutment along the path of travel of the knife.

5. A machine according to claim 1, comprising electromagnetic means forreciprocating said carriage.

6. A machine according to claim 5, wherein the electromagnetic meanscomprises an electromagnet having a reciprocable armature, a source ofenergizing current for the electromagnet, and means drivingly connectingthe armature to the carriage.

7. A'machine according to claim 6, wherein said means drivinglyconnecting the armature to the carriage comprises a toothed quadrantlever, a rack gear on the carriage meshing with the teeth on the lever,yieldable means urging the lever in one direction, and means connectingthe armature of the electromagnet to the lever so that when theelectromagnet is energized, the armature thereof moves to drive thelever in 0p position to the yieldable means.

1. A grafting machine comprising first and second jaws for holdingelements consisting of a scion and a root stock in superimposedrelationship, a carriage movable toward and away from the first jaw,said second jaw yieldably mounted on the carriage to cooperate with thefirst jaw to grip the elements therebetween when the carriage isadvanced, means connected with said carriage to reciprocate the same,and a profile knife mounted on the carriage to cut the superimposedgripping elements when the carriage advances in a later portion of itsoperative stroke, the profile knife being of such shape as to cut theopposed ends of the respective elements into complementary shapes.
 2. Amachine according to claim 1, wherein the profile knife has a generallycup shape in transverse section, whereby the cut-off end portion of oneof the elements and the cut end of the other of the elements whichengage the inner walls of the profile knife travel with the knife in theinitial portion of the return, inoperative stroke of the knife.
 3. Amachine according to claim 2, comprising an abutment disposed alongsidethe hollow side of the knife to engage the later cut element after thecut end of the first cut element has been removed, whereby to align thelater cut element with the first cut element.
 4. A machine according toclaim 3, comprising means to adjust the abutment along the path oftravel of the knife.
 5. A machine according to claim 1, comprisingelectromagnetic means for reciprocating said carriage.
 6. A machineaccording to claim 5, wherein the electromagnetic means comprises anelectromagnet having a reciprocable armature, a source of energizingcurrent for the electromagnet, and means drivingly connecting thearmature to the carriage.
 7. A machine according to claim 6, whereinsaid means drivingly connecting the armature to the carriage comprises atoothed quadrant lever, a rack gear on the carriage meshing with theteeth on the lever, yieldable means urging the lever in one direction,and means connecting the armature of the electromagnet to the lever sothat when the electromagnet is energized, the armature thereof moves todrive the lever in opposition to the yieldable means.